McLeod Plantation dates to 1851 when enslaved men and women constructed a house and started cultivating sea island cotton. The 37 acres that remain of the original property is owned and preserved by Charleston County, telling stories of some of the people that lived there over a nearly 150 year span.

The photo below is the original front of the house, with a wide veranda and room for rocking chairs. The fancy columns and tree lined entrance seen above were added in 1926 so that the house would present an opulent face to Country Club Drive, where the “in” Charlestonians were heading to play golf.

Live Oak trees line the drive into this property, dripping in Spanish Moss and history.  Who knows how many hundred years ago these trees were planted.

With low hanging branches, the view down the path created outside the entrance drive is more interesting than the drive itself.

“Stop the car!” As we approached Middleton Place the storm clouds were blowing away and fresh fluffy clouds were rolling in at a lower level over the plantation house.

There weren’t any people or animals in view to add or subtract from the scene in the few moments we were able to stay parked in the entrance. I would have liked the horse drawn carriage to pass by, but it wasn’t to be.

Middleton Place, SC 5/5/2017.